MAV - Combat Lessons Learned

Dragon Eye Miniature Aerial Vehicles
were operated in operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) throughout the war,
flying mostly over flat, open desert, small towns, and cities and
over the edges of Baghdad. Many missions successfully countered
windy and sandy conditions. Most flights were unplanned,
responding to opportunities and specific tactical requirements. Some
missions were planned but not executed due to the rapid
operational tempo. The majority of units kept Dragon Eye as a
battalion asset with missions tasked by the battalion commander,
intelligence officer, or higher command level. Only one unit used
Dragon Eye at the company-level. This unit used Dragon Eye the
least, as the company commander was too busy with his missions and
did not have the staff and specialists to support UAV tasking plans. The most
proficient
operators for the MAV systems were those with prior intelligence
or
reconnaissance background, as they had experience in
analyzing and reporting what they could see in real time. Dragon Eye units
coordinated flights with the battalion air officer or company
forward air controller. Coordination included the determination of
maximum altitude, keeping to one side of a particular road etc.

Among the missions
flown by Dragon Eyes during OIF were point and area
reconnaissance, confirmation of other intelligence sources, survey
of city area, before the entry of forces, reconnaissance of
bridges and routes, supporting mounted and foot patrols, identification
of suspected enemy forces, to eliminate fratricide, battle damage
assessment and force protection for convoys. The sensors used
proved effective for showing people, vehicles, tanks, APCs and
guard posts. However, these sensors could not identify people,
except by their actions or tell if they were armed, find what
effect friendly artillery had on an enemy position, or classify
some vehicle types.